Tennis & Pickle Ball

 

Tennis and Pickle Ball are the development of a natural consequence of bio-mechanics. Bio-mechanics, stated simply, can be defined as the study of human motion in its physical entirety. It involves efficiency of movement and effectiveness in performing at the highest level, i.e., (by hitting the serve harder, or the approach shot deeper). To understand how your players develop coordinated skills, control, consistency, placement and power, it is important to consider the idea of a linked system of body segments.

This linked system, or KINETIC CHAIN, works in a very systematic fashion with the legs interacting with the ground. The legs take the force and add to it by transferring the force to the hips, from the hips force is transferred to the trunk, from the trunk to the arm, and from the arm to the racket. The summation of this kinetic chain adds up to racket velocity and control. It is vital that teaching professionals understand this kinetic chain so that they can better recognize errors or inefficient movement.

The Kinetic Chain all  starts with the feet and stems upwards, but this is the FOUNDATION of what we can refer to stacking your Skeletal framework . Orthotics will help align the feet, legs and trunk to function bio-mechanically more efficiency. Therefore stronger ball striking, More Power and less fatigue.

One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. This means that subsequent body parts must work harder.

For example: When the two handed backhand is hit with no trunk rotation the arms must swing harder, increasing the chance of an error.

A second form of inefficient stroke production occurs when all of the body parts are used but not employed correctly. For example: When hitting the serve the legs may not be utilized completely, resulting in the hips and trunk working harder to create arm and racket speed.

A final aspect of inefficiency takes place when the kinetic chain is not properly synchronized. For example: Some players have a hitch in their service motion. It throws the timing of the body’s kinetic chain out of synch, forcing the arm to swing with excessive action. If the analysis of inefficient movements is followed, it can be of great assistance in locating a problem in stroke production.

There is no perfect way to stroke the ball, but there is one time when the stroke must be perfect -IMPACT. Regardless of grip type, backswing or follow-through, impact must be exact for a player to hit a specific shot. This involves having control over the racket head and swinging the racket with optimal speed.

If impact is viewed as the most important part of a tennis stroke, and it is accepted that there are several backswings and follow-throughs a player could use, then the next step is to identify the other important attributes of sound stroke production. This concept indicates that the speed of the racket is built by summing up the individual speeds of all participating segments. Recent developments in forehand and backhand stroke production have created a needed change in coaching methodology. Particular attention must now be paid to the use of individual segments of the upper arm, forearm and hand.